The Indiana Pacers made a somewhat shocking selection with the 26th overall pick in Thursday’s NBA draft. Ben Sheppard of Belmont will be added to the Pacers’ young core, and Indiana selected him over high-major talents like Nick Smith Jr. and Brice Sensabaugh.
Most media outlets have Sheppard listed as a big guard, but his 6’6″ frame and knack for spot-up shooting off of screens give him an element of positional versatility. In his senior season at Belmont, Sheppard shot 41.5% from 3-point range on 6 attempts per game. This hot shooting followed him to the NBA Draft Combine and throughout the rest of the pre-draft process.